Constance Marten – live: Mark Gordon, missing aristocrat's partner ...

A woman who says she was friends with Constance Marten at drama school said the aristocrat’s daughter lost touch in an out of character way.

“I tried to contact her several times,” the friend told The Sunday Times. “On Facebook, and on my phone, but she never replied. It was very unlike her. I was very upset after it.”

A former classmate from the East 15 drama school told the paper Ms Marten was a promising actress at school.

“She was just beautiful, full of life, full of kindness ... and she was very, very talented. Just a stunning person inside and out. I was kind of bowled over by her really,” they said.

(Supplied)

Liam James18 January 2023 21:35

Andy Gregory walks through the roots of Constance Marten, the aristocrat’s daughter missing with her child:

Constance Marten, 35, is the granddaughter of Mary Anna Marten, a British Museum trustee whose godmother was the late Queen Mother, and who used to own the Crichel estate in Dorset.

Her grandparents were Toby Marten, a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Navy, and his wife Mary Anna, who had close links to the royal family, attending the Brownies pack at Buckingham Palace alongside Princess Margaret in her youth.

A notable archaeologist, Ms Marten was awarded an OBE in 1980 and appointed High Sheriff of Dorset nine years later. She was also made a trustee of the British Museum and travelled widely in aid of her profession, making frequent trips to Iran and 30 visits to Russia.

The late couple and their family lived at the vast Crichel House – used as the backdrop for several period dramas, including Emma starring Gwyneth Paltrow – the ownership of which in the wake of the Second World War became the centre of a notorious political scandal.

They were survived by five daughters and one son, Napier Marten, who was a Page to Queen Elizabeth II. In 1996 he took a voyage of spiritual discovery in Australia, later returning to work as a tree surgeon near Crichel House.

Liam James18 January 2023 20:20

More than 200 police officers are involved in the search for Constance Marten, her partner Mark Gordon and their newborn child.

Metropolitan Police said officers had scoured more than 200 hours of CCTV footage so far.

The missing couple appear to know how to evade authorities, making the search more difficult, police said.

It recently emerged that Mr Gordon is a convicted rapist who had been jailed in the US.

The last confirmed sighting of the pair was on 7 January, two days after their disappearance, on CCTV at London’s East Ham station.

Liam James18 January 2023 19:40

A mother who is missing with her newborn baby and partner was a “talented actress”, according to friends (Thomas Kingsley writes).

The mother and baby belong to an aristocratic household that once possessed a sprawling country estate with links to the royal family, as revealed by The Independent.

As concern for the family grows, worried friends have spoken out about the former Tatler magazine babe of the month who enrolled at East 15 drama school in Essex before dropping out in 2016. Speaking to The Sunday Times, a former friend revealed that she had been a promising actress in her youth.

Liam James18 January 2023 18:51

Police investigating the disappearance of Constance Marten, Mark Gordon and their newborn baby said the couple appears to know how to evade authorities, making the search harder.

Officers believe they could be anywhere in the UK and are appealing to the public to come forward with any information that may help find them.

Investigators said it is unusual for hotels to accept cash payments and appealed to staff at hotels or hostels where the couple may stay to come forward.

Liam James18 January 2023 17:05

Police have stressed that Constance Marten and Mark Gordon’s newborn child has not been seen by a doctor in weeks, as officer issued their latest appeal for the missing family.

Metropolitan Police’s Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, who is leading the investigation, said: “It has now almost been two weeks since Mark and Constance’s car broke down on the M61 near Bolton and they have been on the move all that time with a newborn baby.

“As far as we are aware, neither Constance nor the baby have received medical attention since it was born. Our priority is to ensure the baby, and indeed both Constance and Mark, are safe and well.

“Once again, I appeal directly to you Constance and Mark. Please do the right thing for your baby and get in touch with us so that we know that you are all doing okay.”

DS Basford said the couple were last seen more than one week ago in East Ham in the London Borough of Newham.

Liam James18 January 2023 16:36

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon have a substantial amount of cash, allowing them to live off-grid, police have said.

The aristocrat’s daughter, the convicted rapist and their baby had no luggage with them after most of their belongings were destroyed in a car fire, and are using cash to pay for taxis and places to stay.

The couple are understood to have lived an isolated life since meeting in 2016, with then-drama student Ms Marten cutting off ties with family and friends.

Last September, they began moving around the country, renting AirBnBs for brief periods before going missing after abandoning their car on 5 January.

Constance Marten and Mark Gordon sighted outside of East Ham station at around 11.45am on Saturday 7 January

(Metropolitan Police)

Liam James18 January 2023 16:13

The partner of a mother missing with a newborn baby is a convicted rapist who served 20 years in prison (Thomas Kingsley writes).

Mark Gordon and aristocrat’s daughter Constance Marten went missing with their newborn baby on 5 January, when they left their broken-down vehicle on the M61 near Bolton.

The Metropolitan Police has released a fresh appeal in the “high risk” search as officers fear the trio could be “anywhere in the UK”.

Liam James18 January 2023 15:54